VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA-Doomsday, The Invaders

A missile takes off. Two men at St. Matthew's Tracking Station track it and discover it is not geese. It moves at 5000 miles an hour and cannot be identified. The government calls the President, verifying their code 420047. A general tells the President confirmation absolute on this firing. It is near the due line for return fire. The President puts the government on war alert, ordering the missile to be destroyed and its source, and adds, "And may God be with us."

ACT ONE

VOYAGE main theme as Seaview is seen. The men watch the clocks tensely. Nelson puts the scope down. Sparks, Clark, and other men look at the clocks and each other, nervously. They are at latitude zero and cross the equator, Chip says. Suddenly, all laugh and make merriment. Crane calls all polliwogs down to the 1973 crew initiation ceremonies. Everyone is light and joking and proceed to the Mess or the Crew Quarters for the King Neptune ceremonies. Men hit the new crew members as they pass under a line of hitters. Crane tells Nelson he was polishing his sword all night (huh?). Pat is dressed as a pirate. We hear what is possibly the cutest music VOYAGE ever used. Men paddle other initiates. Nelson and Crane have on large old time sailing officer hats with feathers. One man is thrown out into the hallway. Pat puts paint on a bare chested Clark, then feathers. I thought I saw a barber in the background. A ship's barber? Chip is dressed as Neptune; Curley as the Queen (in drag); and Ski as the Royal Baby who uses his pacifier to squirt Nelson, Chip, Curley, and Crane at various moments. Another man, Lt. Commander Bill (William, indeed!) Corbett, is on the ship, evaluating its failsafe, missile methods, and as to whether or not it is a fit missile carrier. NOTE: This is not very clear at all--is Corbett one of the Seaview crew--apparently not--but he is taking part in the initiation rites. Nelson jokes he is to blame for Corbett--the boy is good in marine biology and chemistry and was in Nelson's class where Nelson gave him good marks in both. Alarms bring the joyous occasion to a halt. Crane calls all hands to stations, telling them it was slow and sloppy, "I'd hate to see our fitness rating for this one."They see a standby on fail safe. Ski is still dressed as a baby; Corbett has feathers on his face; Clark, Curley, and others are shirtless, covered in paint and feathers or one or the other. Nelson and Crane remove their swords and hat; Chip his pitchfork and beard. A short in an instrument board blasts into Kowalski's face, mostly getting glass in his eyes. Nelson asks to see but can't get to; Doc comes in and when Ski asks if he is blind, responds with, "An old girl watcher like you, Kowalski?"Crane wants to get him to a specialist--the glass exploded right into his eyes. But Nelson doesn't believe this is an exercise. Crane asks, "You don't think there's actually going to be a war."Nelson isn't sure--it could be a flock of geese or a plane off course but explains if and when they see the war alert light go on on the failsafe, they should worry. It is in the President's hands. Nelson claims, "Right where it should be. Only he can open failsafe--an unpickable lock on the mightiest arsenal ever created."The alert alarm for war goes on. Crane prepares the crew for war. Seaview moves flank down to 2000 feet. He orders all men to man their failsafe units. Chip and Crane are in the Control Room, Nelson in his office, Corbett in the Missile Room. All wear keys around their necks. Crane checks with each one but has to call Commander Corbett several times until finally, the unsure man answers. Chip, Nelson, and Crane unlock their units. Corbett doesn't. Nelson calls several times and then runs down to the Missile Room. Corbett says, "I cannot destroy the world!"Nelson holds his hand out, "Leave it to me."Corbett won't give it to him but Nelson punches him and takes it and activates the failsafe. All the units open and we see a scary zoom in on the light on the failsafe that reads: WAR.

ACT TWO

Seaview has bubbles coming from its bubble shape. Nelson paces in his cabin. Crane comes in--15 minutes to launch coordinates. They talk about Corbett. Crane tells Nelson, "Everyone who went to war knows that,"it is hard to pull the trigger and that hesitation--some couldn't pull the trigger. Nelson says Corbett is not a coward but Crane says, "No one of us, none of us, knows how we'll act when we have to pull that trigger--give him another chance."Lee opens the door for Nelson. They cross the fail safe line and raise the antenna--it is not an abort--it's happening. Pat and Clark talk. Pat says, "Sure we have all these bombs and missiles and stuff but so have they."Clark tells him, "I don't like much looking like this when it happens."Pat talks out how his mother told him not to go out when he was dirty--if you're dirty what will the ambulance guy think (NOTE: This is a more sanitary telling of the "don't go out with your underwear dirty"nonsense). Pat says, "Don't worry, nobody's gonna see us again."Clark asks Crane about home and asks if he knew about what was happening home would he tell them. Clark tells him he has a wife and couple of kids, brothers, sisters, parents. Nelson sensitively says they are wondering about him, too. Chip tells them they are in enemy waters now, naming Lee by the moniker Captain. Sickbay: Doc shines a light on Ski and asks if he can see it any. Ski laments--what's the difference now anyway. He figures they all have an hour, maybe an hour and half and then BOOM. Doc can't answer him with any comforting reply so says little except, "The next hour and a half are crucial to whether you will see again or not--if there is no BOOM."NOTE: An aide helping Doc looks a great deal like Del Monroe--could it be his brother or another relative of some kind? Nelson goes to Corbett and stares at him in the Missile Room. Destroyers are picked up. Nelson asks Corbett, "You alright?"The Admiral tells him he should be--he is Annapolis Navy trained. Nelson tells him he has practiced this a hundred times. Corbett calls those, "games"like when he was a kid. "This is no game, Admiral, this is for real, this is DOOMSDAY, Admiral, DOOMSDAY."Nelson tells him if it is--we didn't start it. Corbett says, "What difference is it who started it?"Then he stares at Nelson, "You could do it, couldn't you?"Nelson tells him, "You think because I could do what I had to do--I don't feel for the millions who...the bone and muscle of our country's deterrent is failsafe."He tells Corbett by not firing back, they will leave their country defenseless and he tells Corbett he failed his country and not to fail her again. Seaview stops. Crane asks Nelson if there is any reason to delay firing. Nelson can't give him one, "that has any military relevance."Crane orders Missile Room to release the failsafe antenna. Nelson says, "I spent all of my life trying to find answers but there's no answer for this, nothing to say."The sonar man tells them the destroyers are close, the antenna reaches the surface, and there is no abort signal. Nelson orders Lee to start firing procedure. As Lee starts his failsafe, we hear some great stock music (from some movie obviously and that is used in THE TIME TUNNEL often--it is tense and mysterious all at once and sounds like old-time atmosphere--perfect for THE TIME TUNNEL). Suddenly the failsafe doors shut. Nelson laughs and Crane tells all the attack is canceled--there is no war alert. Everyone laughs. Ski tells Doc to continue on his operation. Pat and Corbett shake hands in the Missile Room. Corbett looks at his failsafe--it reads STAND BY again! Radar calls Crane---who issues a loud quiet to the men. Destroyers are above but they can surface to tell them what has happened--why not use the radio? Number Four Missile won't deactivate--the fuse will detonate at zero degrees, Corbett calls, "Whatever you do--don't surface!"Nelson tells Lee to make a run for it, "Let's get out of here!"They are still in enemy waters. Destroyers release alarms to signal their men to drop depth charges. Doc has a needle near Ski's eyes when a depth charge blows off and they shake. The fuse on the missile is jammed--it will blow when the Seaview reaches the surface. There are more blasts against Seaview.

ACT THREE

Sonar tells Crane, "The whole fleet if after us, Captain."Crane asks for more speed. Curley tells Crane, "She's breaking records now, Skipper!"Water shoots on Curley and a man. The main vent in the ballast is damaged and trim will be sloppy. Corbett and men shake as more charges go off. They can't deactivate the fuse so they will have to find a lonely place and fire it. Only the President can reopen failsafe. Doc operates as the ship shakes. Nelson wants to rely on the hydrophone and jam the Destroyers' sonar to lose them. Nelson runs to the Missile Room again and order them to start up the Mini Sub and reduce the speed of it gradually and the hold. Pat launches it on auto. The sound effects of the Mini Sub are well known and heard, at times, on Irwin Allen shows (such as the first season Jupiter II door sound effects on LOST IN SPACE). Sonar gets the mini sub but Crane calms the man, "Don't worry, it's one of ours."The fleet follows the mini sub. Seaview gets underway again to 4500 feet. Nelson does not want a surface blast at 1000. He wants to go to 4700 feet and fire the missile. They wonder if Seaview can go that deep. Nelson want to do this to prevent the world from knowing that failsafe is fallible and Corbett calls him on this. Nelson also does not want the world to know they are violating the Test Ban Treaty by firing the missile and he won't pollute the atmosphere with the radioactive mist (hey, what about the water being polluted? Remember THE BLIZZARD MAKERS).

Nelson would rather risk the crew than generations to come: "Long ago under conditions less stressful than we faced this morning, strategists and statesmen came up with a plan, a plan as military man you're sworn to follow. If plans made during calm are not followed to the letter we can only face chaos, our survival as a nation as individuals, requires we rely on reason not on emotions."

Corbett tells him about an informed public--they should know that "we should throw away these monstrous toys before they destroy us."Nelson tells him to sound the trumpet if he wants but not on Seaview and not in that uniform. He calls the President. The President cannot open Nelson's failsafe units without opening the entire system---and during the time the failsafe is open, any General, Admiral, or Colonel can fire weapons at under their command. Nelson has cut the time from 30 seconds to 5. The exact moment will be known only to the President and Seaview. Not even the Pentagon, who is on line also, will know nor will the Pentagon know the site the President and Seaview have selected. It will take place in 24 hours. The President tells "Nelson, you know what I'm risking to save your ship--get in touch with me when you reach your destination."Nelson hangs up. The President stares out his window in the Oval Office.

ACT FOUR

Seaview: Nelson is in sickbay hounding Lee to keep Seaview steady as Doc finishes on Ski's eyes, removing glass, "Steady Lee."Doc says, "Real steady, Admiral."Seaview tilts and shakes--some excellent shaking sequences. The helm holds. Doc is getting all the glass out--there is no corneal damage, "You'll be up girl watching in a week or two."Nelson leaves Sickbay with, "Get him back as soon as you can, we need him."Depth is 200 feet. Nelson orders to 90 feet--periscope depth. They must make sure the area is clear before they fire. Nelson puts the scope up after Seaview rises. Nothing on radar. Seaview goes down. Nelson tells Sparks to call through the scrambler. Seaview goes down--bubbles. Nelson in his cabin, calls the President--in five minutes exactly, he will open the failsafe, and adds, "If I permit it."Bastard. He has given the failsafe thing some thought and is worried about THE HUMAN FACTOR. Yesterday, the Russians launched 25 missiles which were not harmful--nothing more than satellite equipment but their one mistake was not to notify the US. A human error. The President is leaving on room for human error in releasing the failsafe. He will open it in 5 minutes for 5 seconds. "Good luck to you and your men."Nelson looks at Corbett again. We see the stocky crewman again. Corbett stares at Nelson. We then see a nice, rare shot close up of Seaview. Failsafe position are retaken. Nelson does a countdown and the system opens. They unlock their units. The missile is now under manual control. Nelson tells Lee to be at 4700 feet. They dive past a canyon (a gritty, murky, and dark look as most of the first season's sea scenes are). They are in the red zone for pressure--4000. Nelson calls fire but Seaview shakes again. Corbett and all the men fall--he couldn't fire...and now the angle is wrong. The main vent jammed and they are ballooning---upward. Chip counts--3 minutes to detonation depth (good stock music). Missile Room--Nelson comes down and wonders if they have some kind of a plan to resolve this. Corbett tells him, "Plan? We've had it!"Nelson insists he will not be the cause of a nuclear accident. Nelson wonders if they could magnetically or electronically defuse the missile. Corbett says, "If we could, then so could the enemy."Nelson guesses--the fuel. 1800 feet. Corbett bleeds off the expellant gas from the missile, Nelson asks what he is doing. The missile will blast clear of the sub and sink to the bottom--fizzling out. 1400, then 1200 feet. Corbett tells Nelson he disobeyed orders---"I didn't change it. I set it for a surface blast."There is enough fuel for it now and it will break the surface and let the public know.Nelson asks on what authority and he says, "On my authority as a man--as a human being--I just discovered I have a commitment that takes priority over this uniform--people have a right to know what happened."He fires and asks them to all to pray. Men bow their heads and pray. The missile slows and stops at 200 feet, out of fuel, beneath the surface, and drops to the bottom. All cheer but Nelson and Corbett. Chip calls--they are at 820 feet, and to Lee says, "That's cutting it close."Crane puffs, "Too close, Chip, much too close."

Con Tower: Chip and Crane: bubble is on the artificial horizon (whatever that means? Perhaps the way the hand scope to find their direction and location). They get a sighting on the pole star--2:04 AM, angle 18 degrees 22 minutes and 3 seconds--verify sighting--mark accurate and confirmed. Chip will confirm it with the inertial navigator and log it. Chip goes down. Nelsoncomes up. Good music occurs. Crane says, "You want to talk about it?"Nelson says, "What's there to talk about?"Crane says, "Well, you gave him a second chance--he blew it."Nelson says, "Ahh, now I have to order a court martial, testify against him."Crane adds, "He'll be dishonorably discharged."Nelson says, "It's ironic, Lee, if he obeyed orders, we'd all be dead now--by disobeying orders, he inadvertently saved our lives but he wrecked his career."NOTE: It was not really clear but if he left more fuel in the missile, the blast would probably have destroyed Seaview. Lee says, "It could have been worse."Nelson nods, "Yeah, it really could have been DOOMSDAY."

REVIEW: I recall showing this episode to a friend of mine who only recalled and saw the third and fourth season. He was astounded by this tightly developed storyline and the acting. It wasn't even like the same show. The fact that Commandeer Corbett, by disobeying orders saved all of the men, didn't save him from Nelson's wrath. Even though the men are supposed to be civilian volunteers, Nelson plans to court martial Corbett and dishonorably discharge him. The failsafe thing was scary because it was so real, yet this episode seems a lot like a movie that starred Richard Widmark and Sydney Portier in the mid or late 50s. A good performances permeate DOOMSDAY all around. On hindsight, though, it is a bit heavy handed. Nelson claims in other episodes, not to be military and not bound by them any more, yet here, he follows the letter of the law and at times, I found myself siding with Corbett against Nelson, who almost seemed like the villain here. Crane, usually more military minded, was for the human side of things---he knows what it is like to pull the trigger or not but in the end he feels Corbett blew his second chance. Nelson had many reasons, many good ones, but Corbett and his panic stricken mind set...are also correct---these weapons are deterrents but are still monstrous and will destroy if used and the public should know...on both sides. There are probably many more things the government hasn't told us about a great many things and there have been computer errors, not human ones, made during nuclear missile firings--one which almost caused a war with Russia in the early to mid 80s--which was hushed up when a computer almost fired missiles at Russia. Also--a deterrent is of no good unless the threat can be backed up with use. All of this is too scary to think too long about. One feels like saying to Nelson, "Aw, let the poor Corbett guy off the hook and give him a third chance. His second chance may have been blown but what a good way to blow it."One also feels the President should owe Seaview after they've saved his life at least once before.

THE INVADERS

Writer-WILLIAM REED WOODFIELD

Dir-SOBEY MARTIN

TEASER

Seaview is seen as we hear the VOYAGE theme. The ocean bottom is sliding away. Seaview is now 100 feet below the water. Crane calls Admiral Nelson to the control room. The sea bottom caves in and Crane warns all hands to "brace yourselves"as small shakes hit. They discover a double bottom--the cave in altered the bottom and revealed a layer of silt that hid the true bottom floor. Soon, Nelson and Crane watch the diving team go past the nose windows. Seaview is above the divers who see a crumbled city of what looks like what might be a future city. Mounds are all about as well as buildings. They find capsules scattered on the bottom. Divers are to bring one into the Missile Room. Once there, the men find no opening, only a small window one inch or more thick. Curley gives Nelson a flashlight which he uses to see inside, wiping the fog off the window. Inside is a face of a man, no hair. The eyes open.

ACT ONE

We hear the full VOYAGE opening credit theme song as the titles of the INVADERS is shown. The light hurts the man's eyes. Curley dims the whole area to night light status. Nelson wonders if the being was in suspended animation. Curley drills to get the man out but the drill has no effect. Crane tries acids of many kinds--no effect. The man inside is suffocating. Nelson tells the others to keep the capsule moist and wet long enough for them to use the arc to cut an air hole. This also fails. Crane says, "It's too late."Seaview surfaces and all hatches and vents are opened. All electrical switches and relays are turned off. Since they are going to try liquid nitrogen next, the smoking lab is off. This nitrogen is 97 degrees below zero and will freeze skin instantly if touched. Nelson and Crane cover their ears as the men start using the chemical. It allows them to cut open the capsule and use ropes to take the top section off. The man inside is bald, wearing a black tunic and pants, sandal like shoes, and a cumberbun. Crane moves his hand to take a gun off the crewman standing next to him. The being uses his own hand gun (which looks like a laser gun from SPACE: 1999's Alpha Control) to knock Crane down.

ACT TWO

Crane gets up. The being learns their english as they speak it and claims he is a man, too. He and the others are all that remains of their civilization, left in capsules by his people for those who follow them in the evolutionary cycle. Nelson tells him they found others and that they will return to base for now and get permission from their government to recover the others. Crane takes the man toward his quarters. The man feels a room and admits steel is unfamiliar to him. Crane tells him they have a double hull. The being tells him that his people used some alloy from the sea that was light in weight--Crane figures probably aluminum--which the alien man claims they built their undersea boats out of. Lights, he tells Crane, emit unnecessary heat. His people had lights that did not emit heat and also had electricity without wires. He asks about the one central wiring place. Crane tells him forward beneath the Control Room. The man sees the High Voltage room. Lee shows him a cabin and the man asks about the bunk. His people never sleep--they only are put into suspended animation for long journeys. He tells Crane that animals only sleep due to the sun going down and it being difficult to see, and out of habit, not because they really need to sleep. He refers to the animals that Crane's people evolved from. Crane and he talk about life forms that do not sleep--some fish, dolphins, and sharks do not sleep. Lee goes to Nelson's cabin--and inside the desk is to the left of the door (not where it would be in later seasons--it would be moved several times). Crane feels they are going to regret opening the capsule. He tells Nelson, "He's weird."Crane orders Mr. Morton to tell O'Brien to dive to 90 feet. The man leaves his cabin. Seaview dives into stock footage. The man uses his handgun on the door of the voltage room (his gun has sound effects from FANTASTIC VOYAGE). Suddenly the radios won't work with no reason apparent, everything malfunctions. Nelson says, "Our, ahh, friend must be responsible."He wants Lee to play along to see what he's up to. Crane says, "I hope he doesn't kill us all while we play along."Nelson finds the alien out of his cabin and calls a search. Curley and men search the halls but Doc calls Nelson--the man is in Sickbay, locked himself in to read medical books. Doc has talked him into letting him perform an X Ray examination. Nelson wants to see this. Doc is shocked, "I don't see how he can function."Inside the body is an odd expanding star shaped mass--no brain, stomach, heart, no nervous system, no blood. This inner thing is him. His scientists created the body, face, and hands for they knew that they might evolve into human beings someday or even be outclassed by a new evolutionary cycle. When the Earth started to boil and become unlivable, even in the seas, the experimental people were placed in capsules in a suspended state. Fire, water, and then ice covered the Earth. Doc tells Nelson that a Carbon 14 test revealed the man (whom the credits but not the episode calls Zar) is over 20 million years old! Doc is certain of this. The man yells for Doc not to use a syringe on him, yelling, "I would not want to see you become ill because of me."He destroys the syringe. Nelson tells a crewman to show their guest to the fine microfilm library Seaview has. After the man leaves, Nelson tells Doc he wants to know what was in that sample. Seaview, the small model is shown. There is no sign of life in the blood sample--no bacteria, no germs, nothing. NOTE: There is a TV screen in Sickbay in this episode. The electron microscope is not working. Doc tries to figure out what the man is. More importantly what does it or he want? The being asks crewman Foster his name and then asks about diseases. Foster tells him they have shots for everything. The man cuts his hand--seemingly on purpose but this goes unnoticed by Foster. The man asks Foster to look at it for him. Foster does The man smiles.

ACT THREE

Ski asks Curley about the alien. Ski would put women in the containers so he could repopulate the world. In 32 hours straight, the alien has read everything including Nelson's chess books, encyclopedias, biology, medicine, ecology, and diseases. He told them there was a great flood in the past. Crane talks to Nelson, "Yet he's alive and back there in those capsules, there are others like him waiting to be released. Why?"Doc calls Nelson and Lee to Sickbay. Crane tells Chip, "See you in the control room."Foster's temperature is 106 degrees. The blood in Foster looks exactly the blood in the alien--it is free of germs. Nelson demands they rig the electron microscope up to a high voltage system of some kind. The alien tells the men this new world is on the brink of destruction--he had hoped for something more. It is his duty to release his people---he must decide if his people and the existing people can live together. If not, he has to destroy the existing people. Crane presses a button. The alien judges them, "When reason fails, you are open to violence."Two crewmen come in and he uses his gun on them. Another with a machine gun is on the nose ladder but is shot with the gun. Nelson and Crane fight the being (and this time we can tell Nelson has a stunt man). Zar flips Nelson and fights Crane but threatens Crane with the gun. The fight stops. If Zar was killed, nothing would have saved their world. 30 knots and Seaview is up to 90 feet to periscope depth. Using the sun and a sextant, Ski and Crane find out the coordinates from the periscope. Chip relays to them. Seaview goes to 100 feet above the bottom. Crane calls Nelson, "Admiral Nelson,"when he calls him down. On the TV scanner are the tombs of the alien people. Seaview has sailed in a circle. The man says his people are a highly technological civilization. The camera zooms close up to his eyes.

ACT FOUR

Zar opens the hatch that leads down to the air revitalization room and throws a tube of smoke, then uses his hand gun on it. Smoke drifts into the vents. He goes to the control room and wants the coffin-like capsules brought aboard. He also smiles, asking, "By the way, how is seaman Foster?"Nelson tells him Foster is dead and tells the Master of Arms and another man to watch him. Someone must go into the air revitalization room to find out about the smoke. Chip and Ski volunteer and descend. Crane orders hatches 27 and 28 closed. For some reason, the two only have one mask but share. Nelson calls Chip via mike, "Morton!"The gas is explosive, the hatch beneath is welded and they can't open the hatch above for fear of contaminating the ship. Since the ballast is fixed now, Seaview can maneuver without engineering or control. Seaview's nose goes down and the gas moves away from the upper hatch. Crane has had it with Zar and orders that if he moves, if he speaks--kill him. Seaview tilts down and the bottom of the ocean is coming up fast. Finally it levels off (after a really nice close up on it). Doc and Nelson look at the slide--even at one million times magnification the picture is too small. They increase to one billion with the photon ion grid. They see the virus, some kind of new strain of bochilitius which a small drop of can wipe out a city. The strain can spread if Zar is wounded in any way--by spreading out through the bulkheads into the sea, eventually making man extinct. Doc consumes the sample in fire, foreshadowing what is to come. Nelson sets up a chessboard. The vent shaft to his cabin is made air tight. When the King is moved to Queen Bishop Three--the signal light to Crane will turn on. Then, he will have the oxygen valves into the hoses running into the cabin, turned up full. The men will seal up Nelson's door after Zar enters. Crane is worried about Nelson giving himself enough time. Nelson tells him, "Get out of here and send him in."After Zar enters, the men calk up the door. Nelson and Zar play chess. The alien tells Nelson his people and the humans cannot live together: Foster's death proves that. It was a test. Had Foster lived, he says, or if Earth medicine was more advanced, the two races might have been able to co-exist (which, given the way he delivers the line, we tend not to believe him--he'd probably have destroyed all of the human anyway.) Nelson stands up, setting off the signal when he makes his move. Chip and Lee open the oxygen valves, flooding Nelson's room with oxygen. Nelson says, "That's why I must destroy you."He runs into his bathroom and out the vent, then seals it. The alien yells, "Nelson, you die, you all die!"He shoots the gun at the door and blows up into an inferno. Later, on the conning tower, Lee and Nelson watch as Seaview remote detonated the area. The rest of the capsules are buried (good music use here). Nelson says, "Man's second chance."Good thing those capsules could withstand the blasting and the rocks falling on them. NOTE: The copy I saw showed Seaview after the ending with the voice over, "VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA brought to you by..."

REVIEW: A very scary story with a villain who seems to be just different but who is filled with his people's own superiority so much so that when Crane reaches his limit from Zar, so have we the viewers come to hate him so when Crane says, "If he moves, or if he even talks, kill him,"we side with Crane. Robert Duval is excellent as the man-alien (named Zar in the promotional material and in the credits and script) and makes his willing, at first, to give him the benefit of the doubt of just being different and not evil. But the truth is, he is very evil minded, at least to our way of thinking. This reminded me of SPACE: 1999's later episode (1976) THE EXILES where two aliens wanted their exiled rebel comrades taken out of suspended animation capsules, put there by a supposed tyrannical people. It turned out the aliens taken out were the psychopathic killers, put in these capsules to keep the rest of the home planet safe from them. With Zar, it is even more scary in that if he is hurt or wounded or if his blood is spilled---it could mean a disease which will kill off all human life. With AIDS constantly on the minds of the media and the public in general, the blood contamination factor is even more scary nowadays. The gas sequence with Chip and Ski gave them something to do but wasn't really fully explained enough. Why did they have one mask with them and not two? Why didn't the gas explode even when contained? The X ray of Zar was really quite scary when you think about it, a throwback to some of the aliens in THE OUTER LIMITS. The fact that his human-like body and appearance were fabricated by his scientists makes this episode even more intriguing. Although some of this episode was a routine evil man-thing among us, the blood factor, the background to Zar and his people, and the way it was presented made this an entertaining installment, one that is difficult to forget from this Season or any season